Did an unexpected medical, dental, or mental health emergency leave you with bills you weren’t prepared for?
If you’re a visual artist, filmmaker, digital artist, or choreographer, the Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program may be able to help with up to $5,000.
The next application window opens October 20, 2026 and closes November 17, 2026.
There’s one important date to know before you start: for this application cycle, your medical emergency must have occurred on or after April 1, 2026.
Here’s how the program works.
What Are the Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants?
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation created this program to help artists facing unexpected medical emergencies.
The program is administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and has been extended through at least June 2029.
NYFA says approximately $138,000 is available during each grant cycle, with individual awards of up to $5,000.
This is a competitive grant. Meeting all of the eligibility requirements does not guarantee that you’ll receive funding.
Who Can Apply?
This program is specifically for generative artists, meaning artists who are the primary creators of their work and have final creative control.
Eligible disciplines include:
- Visual Arts;
- Digital/Electronic Arts;
- Video/Film; and
- Choreography.
Simply working in the arts doesn’t necessarily make you eligible.
For example, performers, editors, cinematographers and screenwriters aren’t eligible based on those roles alone. Dancers also aren’t eligible through this particular program simply because they perform dance, although choreographers may qualify.
NYFA has a separate Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants program for eligible dancers.
What Are the Basic Eligibility Requirements?
In addition to working in an eligible artistic discipline, you generally must:
- Be 21 or older by the application deadline;
- Reside in the United States, District of Columbia, a Tribal Nation, or a U.S. territory;
- Have average adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less based on your two most recently filed tax returns, or $160,000 or less if married and filing jointly;
- Not have received a Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grant or Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant within the previous five years;
- Not be currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program; and
- Meet NYFA’s requirements for recent and sustained artistic activity.
Previous recipients may be able to apply again once five years have passed since their previous award date.
How Do You Prove You’re an Active Artist?
NYFA looks for a history of publicly sharing your work.
For Cycle 39, applicants generally need to demonstrate at least one opportunity per year from 2022 to the present for the public to experience their work.
This might include an exhibition, screening, performance, presentation, or another qualifying public opportunity.
You’ll document this activity in your resume or CV, including information such as the year, venue, title of the work or event, and your role.
NYFA does not ask applicants to submit a portfolio or work samples for this grant.
There is some flexibility if your artistic activity was interrupted. NYFA may allow up to 12 months of reduced activity for medical or personal reasons if you can demonstrate public artistic activity before 2022.
What Counts as a Medical Emergency?
The program is designed primarily for a one-time, unexpected medical, dental, or mental health emergency that causes significant disruption.
For Cycle 39, the emergency must have occurred on or after April 1, 2026.
Examples could include an unexpected surgery, serious injury, dental emergency, or acute mental health crisis.
The emergency itself can occur outside the United States. However, NYFA has specific restrictions on treatment expenses when an emergency occurs abroad. Generally, covered treatment must take place in the United States within two weeks of the incident or onset.
What About Chronic Health Conditions?
Ongoing expenses for chronic conditions generally aren’t covered.
However, there are important exceptions.
NYFA may consider an unexpected and severe worsening of an existing chronic condition.
The program may also cover certain urgent expenses related to a newly diagnosed long-term condition, such as cancer or multiple sclerosis. This can include initial examinations, emergency surgery, or urgently needed treatment intended to stabilize the condition.
So don’t automatically assume you’re ineligible simply because the diagnosis itself may be long term.
How Much Can You Get?
Eligible artists can request up to $5,000.
The amount requested should be connected to eligible, documented expenses resulting from the medical emergency.
This is a grant, not a loan, so the award does not need to be repaid.
However, $5,000 is the maximum, not a guaranteed award.
What Expenses Can the Grant Cover?
Depending on the situation, eligible out-of-pocket expenses may include things such as:
- Hospital bills;
- Doctor or clinic bills;
- Dental treatment;
- Copays;
- Medical tests and diagnostic services;
- Prescriptions related to the emergency;
- Certain physical or occupational therapy;
- Certain acupuncture or chiropractic care; and
- Transportation to and from treatment.
Expenses may already have been paid, still be owed, or be anticipated for future eligible treatment.
NYFA can consider eligible expenses occurring for up to 12 months from the date of the emergency.
The expenses must be for the artist’s own medical emergency. You can’t use this grant to pay expenses arising from a family member’s medical emergency.
There’s a Special Rule for Medicare and Medicaid
There’s an important exception for artists whose direct medical expenses are covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
In those circumstances, an eligible artist may be able to request up to $5,000 toward documented essential living expenses while they are ill, injured, receiving treatment, or recovering.
Eligible living expenses can include certain costs such as:
Not every household expense qualifies. For example, NYFA excludes certain expenses such as mortgage or HOA payments, credit card debt, and student loan payments.
Review the current NYFA guidelines carefully before including living expenses in your request.
When Is the Next Application Window?
Cycle 39 has the following schedule:
- Opens: October 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET
- Closes: November 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
- Notification: Around December 23, 2026
Applications received after the deadline aren’t considered.
However, there’s no advantage to applying early within the application period. Take the time you need to submit a complete application before the deadline.
What Do You Need to Apply?
Applications are submitted through NYFA’s online application system on Submittable.
You’ll need to provide information about your artistic career, financial situation, and medical emergency.
That may include:
- A resume or CV documenting your eligible artistic activity;
- Information explaining the medical, dental, or mental health emergency;
- Information about how the emergency has affected you financially and professionally;
- Documentation related to your condition;
- Documentation of eligible expenses; and
- Financial information demonstrating that you meet the program’s income requirements.
The application also asks applicants to explain the severity of the emergency, its economic impact, and how assistance could help them continue or return to their creative practice.
Applicants can upload supporting documentation related to their condition and costs.
If you don’t yet have documentation for an expected expense, NYFA may allow you to provide your own reasonable cost estimate. Awardees may later need to provide supporting receipts, invoices, or other documentation for eligible expenses.
Can You Get a Paper Application?
Yes.
If you can’t use the online application or need an accommodation, you can contact NYFA to request assistance or a paper application.
NYFA recommends making accommodation requests as early as possible, preferably at least two weeks before the application deadline.
Visit the official NYFA Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants page for the current application instructions.
How Are Winners Chosen?
This grant is competitive because NYFA receives more eligible requests than it has money available to fund.
Applications are evaluated based on factors including:
- Demonstrated need;
- Severity of the medical situation;
- Economic severity; and
- How the grant could help the artist continue or return to their creative practice.
NYFA says the highest-scoring application is automatically funded.
Other applications in the highest qualifying tier are entered into a lottery for the remaining available awards.
That means meeting all the eligibility requirements doesn’t guarantee you’ll receive a grant.
It also means there’s no benefit to rushing your application in on opening day. A strong, complete application submitted before the deadline is what matters.
Relief Recap
If you’re a visual artist, filmmaker, digital artist, or choreographer dealing with an unexpected medical, dental, or mental health emergency, the Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program could provide up to $5,000 toward eligible expenses.
For Cycle 39, your emergency must have occurred on or after April 1, 2026.
Applications open October 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET and close November 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
Remember that this is a competitive program, so an eligible application doesn’t guarantee an award.
If you’re dealing with unexpected medical bills and need help beyond this program, check out our guide to hardship grants for low income Americans for other resources that may be available.
